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Chapter One

I hope my mom and I hope my dad
Will figure out why they get so mad
I hear them scream, I hear them fight
They say bad words that make me want to cry…

Promises mean everything
When you're little and the world is so big
I just don't understand how
You can smile with all those tears in your eyes
When you tell me everything is wonderful now

Christmas 1981

Thunder clapped loudly, startling five-year-old Jaidyn awake.

Biting her lip, she immediately got out of bed and wandered over to the window, excitement rising as she expected to see rain pouring down outside. Something about thunderstorms fascinated her. She always sat and watched them, especially when she spent the summer at her grandparents’ lake house. She loved to watch the way the sky turned weird colors, transforming as the clouds got thicker and thicker before finally bursting and pelting the earth with rain. She would smile and her heart would pound as she sat in her grandfathers’ lap, his arms around her tiny waist, staring at the storm with the same knowing smile and awe in his eyes.

But the only thing she saw coming down from the sky was the pure white snow that had been falling since the day before. She could barely make out the lumpy form of the snowman her and her father had built earlier that day, the snow was coming down so hard and so fast, and yet so silent.

Then she heard the thunder again. But this time it was inside her house. Thunder did not come inside. She looked out the window once more, utterly confused at what was going on. Sucking on her bottom lip, she listened more carefully, holding her breath. It was now that she could hear the raised voices coming from downstairs. She wondered what could possibly be going on. The last thing she heard before she fell asleep were the melodic sounds of her fathers’ guitar and laughter that drifted up from down below. She didn’t know how much time had passed, but how could things change while she was asleep?

She crept out of her room, her feet instinctively playing with the soft carpet that stretched throughout most of the house. She liked it a lot more than the cold hardwood floor that was in her room. The voices escalated and were followed by a loud crash that ripped Jaidyn out her preoccupation with the carpet. She curiously followed the sound, going down the stairs and ending up in the living room which was, to put it lightly, quite trashed. There were empty glasses and beer bottles littering the floor and the tables and…pretty much everywhere. Wrapping paper and ribbons were thrown where ever, all of it left over from the Christmas party her parents had thrown. The tree which had been propped up neatly in the corner now slumped slightly to one side, and it had been redecorated with bottle cap and beer tab garland.

She gingerly stepped over the trash on the floor, her long nightgown swishing around her feet. She paused by the coffee table and picked up one of the big glasses that had a small puddle of eggnog at the bottom. Bringing it to her nose, she sniffed the liquid and immediately turned her head, sticking out her tongue. Ick. She sat the glass back down and followed the trail of debris throughout the house.

She stopped at the door to the basement. The raised voices were loudest here, and they most definitely belonged to her parents. She opened the door and quietly descended the stairs.

Curiosity killed the cat, or so they say. But then again, Jaidyn was too young to know.

“Corinne, will you just calm down?”

“No I will not, Will! How could you DO this?!”

Her fathers gruff, soothing voice contrasted strikingly to her mothers’ high, shrill shrieks. Jaidyn perched herself on the bottom step and peeked around the corner. Her mother had a black plastic trash bag in one hand and a glass in the other. She waved the trash bag around maniacally each time she screamed as if somehow it could emphasize her point.

“Do what?! Corinne, we’ve being going around in circles all night. Will you just tell me what has got you so pissed off?”

“The record exec!” She replied exasperated, yet still shrill.

“That is what this is about? You’re pissed because I turned down a record deal?”

“Yes! That IS what this is about! How.could.you.just.say.NO?!” She threw the glass she was holding to the ground, as she said ‘no’. Her father was silent for a moment, just staring at her mother. Jaidyn had never seen her mother like this before—her hair was a mess and her eyes were wild—thoroughly scaring the young girl.

“Corinne, you need to calm down. You’re over-reacting.” He paused. “You’re drunk. Why don’t we just go upstairs…” He reached out for her and she swung her arm out of his grasp.

“No! Not after you just threw our life away! What we’ve been working at forever!”

“Excuse me, our life?” Corinne froze.

“…The music, Will.” She said, sounding unsure, her words faltering. “You’re really just going to stop?”

“Corinne, we talked about this! The music stopped being top priority when our daughter was born!”

Corinnes’ eyes widened. She was so angry she seemed not to have a response. Will fixed his glare on her.

“Somehow, Corinne, I think this isn’t about me or the music or even our.daughter. This is about you. You and the money…and…and the parties. For fuck’s sake, look around you, Corinne!”

“Fuck you.” Her mother spat.

Jaidyn backed against the wall, biting down on her lip to keep from crying. Was this fight about her? She had definitely been mentioned…What was going on? She slowly retreated back through her house to her room and curled up under her covers, never making a sound as tears rolled silently down her cheek.

This thunderstorm was not a pleasant one…


Lyrics: Wonderful © Everclear